PoliticalAction.com Blog

Dear Friend:

If Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts last night shows us one thing, it is that nothing in politics can be taken for granted. In the most liberal of states, the people have spoken, and the tide of reform continues to sweep through the country!

Here in Connecticut, we are facing and uphill battle. Like Scott Brown, we are facing a popular attorney general who has started the campaign with a big lead in the polls. National pundits are writing us off, and even here in Connecticut, people are treating Dick Blumenthal’s victory as a foregone conclusion. They ignore us at their peril. We will prove them wrong, and we will win! There’s a movement building across this country, and I feel it every day when I campaign.

We need solutions to the problems facing our country, not more government bureaucracy and empty promises from career politicians! We need a return to the free-market policies that made this country great, that will get Americans back to work and turn the tide on the failed policies in Washington, DC.

I know that we can shock the establishment, just like Scott Brown did last night. With you on my team, we can accomplish anything! Sunday some of our friends organized a money bomb. We raised just over $30,000 dollars from 377 people who donated an average of $80 each. While I want to thank everyone who participated in that money bomb, I also want to issue a challenge to the rest of you who sat it out.

This email is going out to over 150,000 people. Just imagine if everyone matched the contributions given during the money bomb. Instead of raising $30,000 we would raise 12 million. Combine that war chest, with my message and the current political environment, and we can’t lose.

I can win this race, but I cannot win it alone. I need everyone’s help. Together we will not fail. The stakes are just too high. We can take back our nation from the politicians who hold it hostage. We can restore limited government, embrace capitalism, and unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that made this nation great.

Do not assume that someone else will donate for you. We are in this fight together and we all need to contribute to prevail. Don’t think your contribution will be too small to make a difference. Remember we have strength in numbers. Small contributions add up as long as enough people make them (of course larger donations are welcome too).

So go to my web site www.schiffforsenate.com and make your contribution today. Every contribution counts, and if everyone makes one, the tally will be huge.

Let’s send a message so loud that it will resonate from Hartford to Washington D.C. Let’s show our critics that we mean business. Let’s show them that this campaign is real and that we will not be stopped for lack of funds.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

Yours in liberty,

Peter Schiff, US Senate Candidate
schiffforsenate.com

Jake Towne is running for US Congress in Pennsylvania District 15 which includes the Lehigh Valley

Dear Friends of Liberty -
2010 has arrived and the campaign looks forward to election day on November 2nd. On that day, the 15th district will elect its first-ever independent private citizen to Congress. In the past 7 months, I have met enough people in the district to firmly have faith that they will make best decision for their own prosperity, health and future, and vote for me as their public servant if only the message can make it to them. Last Monday, 100,000 households will receive a half-page ad promoting campaign events, see here. In December, campaign volunteers distributed almost 15,000 “Who Is Jake Towne?” flyers, and the number of yard signs out is already in the triple digits – and are the only political signs you will see in the district. Yesterday, I parked my car to pick up a pizza and saw one in Bethlehem and stopped by to say hi.

What I bring is a winning message – open, transparent & accountable government with the Open Office, a shift of power back to the state, local, and individual levels, an unquestionable motivation to serve the people (in December I announced I will only accept the median household income and donate the remainder to local non-profit hospitals), peace instead of endless, costly war, and a return to sound monetary and fiscal policy. Where my opponents in truth offer tyranny, I offer LIBERTY and the rule of law. I will speak, listen, and meet with anyone or any group. I will not tire – I will keep promoting and defending the message – I will keep writing and knocking on doors until my knuckles bleed. You have this level of commitment from me until Election Day.

Read More…

Call To Action

While the Senate has all but passed the health care takeover bill, do not despair for we have additional opportunities to stop the progression.

Remember that the House and the Senate need to come to terms on a compromise bill, but the rhetoric coming from the Senate is rather aggressive toward the House, so this is one opportunity for you to contact both Senators and your Representative. Once a compromise bill is agreed upon, both the House and Senate need to pass it before going to the President for his signature. Another opportunity!

There is time, so pour the heat on to your elected officials and tell them to stop the reform. Less government is the cure, not the disease!

Thank you,

Your friends at The John Birch Society

Click the link below to log in and send your message:

http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/jbs39442654.aspx

Dear Friend of Liberty,

You and I have stood together in our battles for Liberty and the Constitution before. Now, even larger threats – and greater opportunities – are in front of us.

Our constitutional principles and freedom-centered values are being assaulted at every turn. More bailouts, nationalized health care, cap and tax, trillion dollar “stimulus” plans, expansion of our interventionist foreign meddling. I could go on and on.

But the good news is, with your help, Campaign for Liberty has been fighting back.

And we’re even on offense, putting the statists and the Fed on notice with our Audit the Fed bill.

You and I are making progress every day.

As you may know, Campaign for Liberty is carrying the Revolution forward and fighting our battles in Congress and all across the country.

And it needs your help.

Please read the enclosed letter from Campaign for Liberty’s President, John Tate.

John and Campaign for Liberty need your advice and your help as we head into 2010. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read this letter and to continue the fight alongside me and Campaign for Liberty.

In Liberty,

Congressman Ron Paul

———-

Dear Member:

I’ve just finished a series of long and difficult planning meetings with my staff.

You see, right now, you and I are at a key stage in many of our current battles – and I’m faced with some decisions unlike any others I’ve ever had to make.

And I’m writing you today because it’s vital that as Campaign for Liberty goes forward, we receive your advice on C4L’s Confidential Member’s Directive.

The good news is, thanks to your help, we’ve really made an impact in Washington.

Today, AUDIT THE FED is up to 317 House cosponsors and 31 Senate cosponsors. Campaign for Liberty has grown like no other Liberty organization in history, both in number of supporters and in our impact across the country. All thanks to Patriots like you!

We’re helping keep back many of the big government power grabs many thought would already be law – like Cap and Tax and nationalized health care.

Though many of the battles still rage on, we’ve proven to the statists in Washington, D.C. we won’t just roll over and play dead for their radical freedom-robbing agenda. If they want to continue to try to take our liberty, well – now they’ve got a fight on their hands like never before.

But the truth is, there are so many battles to fight right now, we’re being stretched thin at the most crucial time.

So today, I regret to inform you — with all the critical battles we’re facing right now — without an IMMEDIATE influx of funds, I’m going to have to start cutting some of our most vital programs.

You see, unlike our overlords in the Federal Government, I can’t just print money when the bills come due!

Nor would I want to.

But the battles we are fighting don’t come cheap. The fact is, I hope you’ll help Campaign for Liberty fight ALL of our battles. But if we are faced with hard choices, I’d rather quit some fights (even though we could win!) than risk losing everything.

But before I cut anything, I want to be sure to receive your advice.

I’m sure you’ll agree: the idea that we may have to cut some of our vital programs is not welcome news. And it couldn’t have come at a worse time considering everything we’re facing right now.

And any of these battles could be won or lost depending on the resources Campaign for Liberty can spend fighting them, including:

*** Socialized, Government-run Medicine that would not only include astronomical tax hikes, but would give big government bureaucrats decision-making power over virtually EVERY medical decision;

*** The Cap and Tax scheme that would drive already sky-high energy costs through the roof, massively hike taxes on hardworking Americans and give the Federal Government unprecedented control over the economy;

*** Audit the Fed, so the American people can finally see the corruption and economic devastation caused by a handful of bankster bureaucrats;

*** PATRIOT Act renewal, and the new, even more DANGEROUS ID Bill that would not only allow the government to listen to phone calls and monitor internet accounts, but would mandate Americans get a federally-approved ID card complete with an RFID tracking device.
To me, all of these fights are so foundational to our freedoms it’s almost like asking which amendment in the Bill of Rights I would like to keep.

That’s why I need your advice.

You see, the Big Government crowd isn’t hurting for funds. The statists inside government just tax, borrow or print money when they need it.

Those outside are happy to ride the taxpayer gravy train with their bailouts, their welfare checks, and their bloated government contracts.

I’ll tell you up front: I don’t want to quit fighting anywhere.

Honestly, I’d rather meet the barrel of a loaded shotgun than to see Big Government politicians ham it up for the news cameras after they ram one of their statist schemes into law.

I’m sure you feel the same way.

I also know that without your financial support, there would be no Campaign for Liberty.

That’s why I need YOU to tell me WHICH FIGHT to focus on.

But, believe me, there’s no easy choice. Let me lay out the options.

Should I concentrate on efforts to stop government’s total takeover of medicine?

Even besides the massive costs that could literally bankrupt our country, this dangerous scheme strikes at the heart of everything you and I hold dear.

Under their Big Government Health Care power grab, American citizens will be nothing more than a dehumanized statistic — a number on a piece of paper.

So those federal bureaucrats won’t be making their decisions on what health care you and your family receive based on what you and your doctor decide is best — they will decide what is best for you.

I don’t know about you, but that sends shivers up my spine.

So if stopping Big Government’s takeover of medicine is your number one priority, please mark OPTION 1 on your Member’s Directive.

But before you do, please consider what’s at stake with the dangerous Cap and Tax Bill.

Of course, you and I both know this bill has nothing to do with the environment.

It’s really about raw government POWER.

Government POWER to tax.

Government POWER to enter your home to check for compliance.

And government POWER to control the economy, our lives and our freedom.

If passed, Cap and Tax would give the Federal Government UNPRECEDENTED control over the private sector — and our very lives.

And it will virtually guarantee our economy grinds to an IMMEDIATE halt.

I’m sure you can see why I’m torn.

If this is where you believe we should concentrate our resources, please mark OPTION #2 on your Member’s Directive.

And, of course, I haven’t even mentioned AUDIT THE FED yet.

Thanks to the help of folks like you, we’re at a truly historic crossroads in our fight.

Of course, from here on out, our battle will only get more difficult because the Fed banksters and their cronies in Congress are going to do everything they can to stop us.

But if you and I can somehow pass AUDIT THE FED, the American people will finally see it’s the Federal Reserve that’s the cause of inflation, our constant economic crises and the destruction of the middle class . . .

. . . and well be well on our way to finally ENDING the Fed once and for all.

If you believe we should concentrate solely on the AUDIT THE FED Bill, please mark OPTION #3 on your Member’s Directive.

But please remember, that’s not all.

You see, I know you weren’t fooled by Barack Obama’s campaign rhetoric . . . his empty promises to protect civil liberties.

The truth is, the assaults are continuing and only getting worse.

Today, the PATRIOT Act is up for reauthorization, and Obama Administration officials support its provisions.

You know, the provisions that allow government goons to wiretap American citizens and search everything from banking to library to medical records.

Just as bad, they’re pushing a new DANGEROUS ID bill.

If passed, DANGEROUS ID would allow Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to establish virtually any standards she wants.

Retinal scans. Fingerprints. DNA information.

RFID tracking chips so anti-gun government goons can watch your every movement.

And after reading all those Homeland Security memos and directives calling patriotic Americans like you and me terrorists, I can’t imagine sitting idly by while police state cheerleaders in Congress continue their assault on our civil liberties.

If you believe Campaign for Liberty should focus on this fight, please mark OPTION #4 on your Member’s Directive.

Of course, there is one more option.

I’ve hesitated until now to bring it up because it’s absolutely critical you understand the situation we’re in.

Without an IMMEDIATE and massive influx of funds, I will be FORCED to make cuts to our programs.

In fact, without an immediate contribution of at least $100 or $50, I may have to make cuts across the board.

OPTION #5 is FIGHT ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Don’t back down. Don’t leave anything to chance. FIGHT.

If you choose this option, please make a contribution to Campaign for Liberty of $500 or at least $250.

I know that’s a tremendous amount to ask.

If our backs weren’t against the wall, I wouldn’t even consider it.

But if we don’t fight back, who will?

I know we can count on Ron Paul in Congress. Can he count on us?

Please click here to fill out your Member’s Directive and make your most generous contribution today. Your advice and your support will make all the difference.

Sincerely,

John Tate
President

P.S. The tough economic times are affecting us all — and Campaign for Liberty isn’t immune.

Without an influx of funds, your Campaign for Liberty is going to be forced to make devastating cuts.

So I need your IMMEDIATE advice.

The representatives and senators who vote for this health control monstrosity need to be fired. We have allowed our employees (elected officials) to ignore the rules that we sent them to DC with (the Constitution). Have you read the rules that they are to follow lately?

Remember when we were told that if everyone had to buy car insurance the rates would go down? How much did your car insurance rates go down?

Our congress told the American people that if they controlled education then it would be better for all of us? How many local school districts are in major trouble now? Do children get a better education now? Why can’t seniors in high school pass the 8th grade exam that children were given 50 years ago?

Our congress told us that if they gave control of our currency to a private central bank (Federal Reserve) we would not have fluctuations in our monetary value. The American people were told that a private cental bank that controlled monetary policy would assure the people that their savings would not be diminished with inflation. We see how well that worked out and now we have foreclosures all over the place and the dollar is gone. Just take a dollar out and read it, it is a Federal Reserve Note, not a dollar issued by the United States. To top this off the Federal Reserve, along with Pelosi and Reid, don’t want to allow an audit of the Federal Reserve.

Our congress promised workers that they would take part of their paycheck (Social Security) and hold it for them to use in retirement and it would never be used for anything else. Now we all know that Social Security is going to be bankrupt soon.

We need senators and representatives who go to Washington to follow the Constitution and start removing some of the unconstitutional things our congress has done over the last several decades. Allowing our congress to run wild and spend money like they are rich with an unlimited credit card that never has to be repaid is killing our county. This is not a football game where each team works to regain control of the field.

They are taking away incentives by deciding what businesses should be allowed to fail, deciding what your children will be taught in school, deciding how much “money” you should be allowed to have in retirement, deciding that you are not allowed to replace a window in your house without a permit from the EPA (effective the first part of 2010), and so much more that I don’t have the space to print some of the things I have found. When a business fails then others have an opportunity to fill that void. The American Dream is being murdered.

How long are we going to allow this corruption to go on? Just because every other country is doing socialism and communism does not mean that we should. What happened to State’s Rights? What happened to things that are not expressly authorized to congress in the Constitution are reseved to the States and the people?

Robyn Hamlin
Missouri

Congressman Ron Paul
Foundation for Rational Economics and Education

Dear Friend of Liberty:

The Founders’ inspired vision of limited government has been kept alive by the hard work and generosity of Americans who truly cherish individual Liberty average people like you and me.

In the toughest times times like we are facing right now in the life of our nation freedom fighters have always stepped forward for America—armed with whatever it takes and at whatever sacrifice—to answer the call to defend our liberty. That’s how America was born and how we, as a free and sovereign nation, have survived.

I have not known a time when the threats to our Liberty and the Founders’ vision have been greater than they are today. For Liberty to survive, it is imperative that we confront these new threats, in all of their ugly forms, both foreign and domestic.

We continue to see a major economic crisis unfolding in our nation. New government programs are started daily, and future plans are being made for even more costly government expansion. All are based on the belief that we’re in this mess because free-market capitalism and sound money failed. The obsession is with more spending, bailout of bad investments, more debt, and further dollar debasement. Many are saying we need an international answer to our problems with the establishment of a world central bank and a single fiat reserve currency.

These suggestions are merely more of the same policies that created our mess and are doomed to fail.

At least 90% of the cause for the financial crisis can be laid at the doorstep of the Federal Reserve. Their manipulation of credit, the money supply, and interest rates caused the various bubbles to form.

Congress added fuel to the fire by various programs and institutions like the Community Reinvestment Act, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, FDIC, and HUD mandates, which were all backed up by aggressive court rulings.

The Fed and US Treasury have perniciously doled out trillions in subsidized loans to troubled banks and other financial institutions, and that number is growing through a revolving TARP slush fund which the Feds are using to bail out their huge corporate buddies. The Federal Reserve and Treasury constantly brag about the need for “transparency” and “oversight,” but it’s all just talk — they want none of it. They want secrecy while the privileged are rescued at the expense of the middle class.

It is unimaginable that Congress could be so derelict in its duty. It does nothing but condone the arrogance of the Fed in its refusal to tell us where the trillions in bailout money have gone. All Members of Congress should be outraged that conditions could deteriorate to this degree. It’s no wonder that a large and growing number of Americans are now demanding an end to the Fed.

The Federal Reserve created our problem, yet it manages to gain even more power in the socialization of the entire financial system. The whole bailout process this past couple of years has been characterized by no oversight, no limits, no concerns, no understanding, and no common sense.

Similar mistakes were made in the 1930s which ushered in the age of the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the Great Society and the supply-siders who convinced conservatives that deficits didn’t really matter after all, since they were anxious to finance a very expensive deficit-financed American empire.

All the programs since the Depression were meant to prevent recessions and depressions. Yet all that was done was to plant the seeds of the greatest financial bubble in all history. Because of this lack of understanding, the stage is now set for massive nationalization of the financial system, and even the means of production.

The Feds not only own and control car companies and financial institutions, their lust for power and control now extends to their malevolent scheme to nationalize our healthcare system and thereby take over one sixth of our entire economy. This will be a disaster if it happens!

I could go on but I know that you understand the crisis that we face and agree with me on what must be done to turn our nation around.

I hear from Americans like you who are up in arms about what is going on in our nation. Messages come into my congressional office morning, noon and night. Taxpayers are outraged by the huge bailouts, the massive expansion of government and the refusal by Congress and the leaders of both parties to follow the Constitution.

Many Americans are frustrated—many are outright angry—about failed government policies that just tighten the government’s noose around our necks. Many millions of fed up taxpayers have taken to the streets and town hall meetings in recent months to make sure their voices were heard by the uncaring Washington elites.

Since the financial crisis has become more and more apparent, and the attempts by the Fed and Treasury and Congress to solve the problem have become more desperate, my phone has been ringing off the wall with calls from media outlets wanting interviews and to get my opinions about what is going on and how we need to deal with it.

Several books that I have authored with the help of FREE have become instant best sellers as patriotic Americans search desperately for the intellectual and political ammunition they need to fight for the future of our country and to take back our freedom from the fascists who despise our Constitution and those of us who defend it.

During the presidential election, do you remember how the media scoffed at my suggestions that we were facing economic disaster? They laughed at my calls for limited government, for abolishing the Fed and the IRS, for cutting federal spending at home and abroad to balance our budget, and my call for a sound monetary system. Today, we are well into this economic crisis and they are not laughing any more.

The time is ripe for us to be at the forefront of offering workable solutions of calling for a return to limited, constitutional government, the need for honest money and low taxes, and the absolute need to expose and abolish the Federal Reserve which has done so much to undermine our currency and destroy one of the most productive economic systems in the history of the world.

My bill to audit the Fed has made tremendous progress. Together we have led the fight to get congressional hearings, 308 cosponsors, and unprecedented attention around the country for this legislation. Yet the banksters and a few of their weasel allies in Congress continue to do everything they can to water down or outright kill our movement to audit this monstrous institution.

I’m outraged at every such attempt to stop our bill in order to enable the secrecy and disruptive power of the Fed to continue. Some days I am so angered by the banksters’ underhanded shenanigans that I’m reminded of the famous battle cry of central bank foe Andrew Jackson as he moved to abolish the central bank: “By eternal God I will rout you out!” Jackson shouted as he demonstrated the courage to go against Congress and the Fed.

The task before us is huge. Our challenge is both political and philosophical, but either way, the solution must begin by properly educating Americans as to why our current out-of-control, misguided political and financial systems have failed, and what must be done to turn things around.

My Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE) has been waging such an educational effort for several decades. We have had a great deal of success publishing newsletters and books and producing radio and TV programs teaching people about the Constitution and free markets and sound money.

FREE has done much to educate patriots like you and to win the battle for the hearts and minds of Americans young and old.

FREE is publishing books like my popular Foreign Policy of Freedom, and we have printed and distributed tens of thousands of Pocket Constitutions to students and groups nationwide.

Today, given the severity of the crisis we face, we must do even more in our battle to spread the truth It is imperative that we redouble and expand the work and scope of FREE’s educational effort. Right now, while people are still looking for answers and even the media is trying to figure out what in the world is going on, we must step in to fill the void that exists and to provide answers and solutions for the problems that we face.

You have been a faithful supporter of the cause of liberty. You understand the serious nature of the threats that confront us and the dangers posed to our freedom and our very way of life.

Our ability to lead this movement comes from your tax-deductible contribution to FREE. $50 or $100, or even $250 or more if you can afford it, is urgently needed to help fund the effort to turn our government and our nation around before it is too late. Please go to the FREE donation page now to contribute: http://www.free-nefl.com/html/contribute.html

Leadership is sorely lacking in Washington following the Democrats’ recent victory. It is time for true leaders like us to step forward and offer the vision needed to point Congress and our nation in the right direction and to halt the assault on our nation’s sovereignty.

This is a dangerous time. But it is also an historic opportunity. Please help today with your most generous, tax-deductible gift for freedom. We must act swiftly to counter the ongoing-attempt to socialize our nation and trample upon our freedom. The time is NOW and the need is urgent!!!

I’m counting on you.

In Liberty,
Ron Paul

December 2, 2009

Dear Subscriber,

One year ago today Ron Paul endorsed Young Americans for Liberty and launched the youth R3volution.

Today is truly a cause for celebration!

For the first time, a youth movement dedicated to the ideals of freedom, peace, and prosperity thrives in America. And our growth has only begun.

Founded with Campaign for Liberty’s support, a network of Ron Paul youth, and a vision to educate and train the next generation of Constitutionalists, YAL is here to stay!

Please join me today by wishing the thousands of dedicated YAL members and chapters a very Happy 1st Birthday and give a gift of $25, $50, or $100.

Your investment celebrates YAL’s first-year successes and supports a generation of youth activists committed to the Constitution.

I’m extraordinarily grateful for the thousands of YAL members, chapters, and donors who believe in our mission and support our daily efforts. Thank you for a blessed first year.

As Ron Paul stated one year ago today, The importance of YAL to the future of liberty cannot be overstated.

Here’s to victory in 2010!

For liberty,

Jeff Frazee
Executive Director, YAL

By Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times

An angry aide to Rep. Ron Paul, an iPhone and $4,700 in cash have forced the Transportation Security Administration to quietly issue two new rules telling its airport screeners they can only conduct searches related to airplane safety.

In response, the American Civil Liberties Union is dropping its lawsuit on behalf of Steve Bierfeldt, the man who was detained in March and who recorded the confrontation on his iPhone as TSA and local police officers spent half an hour demanding answers as to why he was carrying the money through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

The new rules, issuedin September and October, tell officers “screening may not be conducted to detect evidence of crimes unrelated to transportation security” and that large amounts of cash don’t qualify as suspicious for purposes of safety.

“We had been hearing of so many reports of TSA screeners engaging in wide-ranging fishing expeditions for illegal activities,” said Ben Wizner, a staff lawyer for the ACLU, pointing to reports of officers scanning pill-bottle labels to see whether the passenger was the person who obtained the prescription as one example.

He said screeners get a narrow exception to the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches, strictly to keep weapons and explosives off planes, not to help police enforce other laws.

TSA was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to boost screening at airports, but the young agency has repeatedly bumped heads against civil libertarians, who argue officers overstep their authority.

TSA spokeswoman Lauren Gaches said the new “internal directives” are meant to ensure their screeners are consistent. She acknowledged the policy on large sums of cash had changed, but wouldn’t provide a copy of either document. She said the directives would not be released unless a Freedom Of Information Act request was submitted by The Washington Times.

“TSA routinely assesses its policies and screening procedures to ensure the highest levels of security nationwide,” she said. “Currency alone is not a threat, and TSA does not restrict the amount of currency a traveler may carry through the checkpoint.”

TSA had earlier defended the search, though it had criticized officers’ abusive behavior.

The ACLU released the September directive because TSA included it in a public court filing, but said when TSA gave it the October directive it was instructed not to publish it.

That second directive tells screeners that “traveling with large amounts of currency is not illegal,” and that to the extent bulk quantities of cash warrant searching, it is only to further security objectives, the ACLU said.

The ACLU sued in June on behalf of Mr. Bierfeldt, who was detained after he sent a metal box with $4,700 in cash and checks through an X-ray machine at the airport.

He had the cash as part of his duties as director of development for the Campaign for Liberty, the offshoot group that Mr. Paul, Texas Republican, created from his failed presidential bid.

Mr. Bierfeldt recorded audio of the confrontation on his iPhone, including threats, insults and repeated questions about where he obtained the money.

“Are you from this planet?” one officer told him, while another accused him of acting like a child for asking what part of the law forced him to answer their questions about the money.

“The TSA has stated that their policy is going to change, which is basically what we were after all along,” Mr. Bierfeldt told The Washington Times.

Some civil liberties activists speculate that TSA wants passengers to be uncertain about its procedures because it gives more power to the authorities in an encounter.

The new directives don’t affect a situation where a TSA officer, in the performance of a regular screening, comes across evidence of illegal activity, such as a bag of illicit drugs.

As part of our Operation Health Freedom series, Euro Pacific Capital President Peter Schiff talks about problems with the employer-based health care system and how costs would go down over time without government involvement in health care.

Mr. Schiff is running for United States Senate against Christopher Dodd in Connecticut in the 2010 election. SchiffforSenate.com